Got 2 Minutes? Get 7 Tips for Speeding Up Editing in Premiere

Saving a little time in your edit can add up quickly.

In this short video, I’ll show you quick tips that can speed up your workflow. Little things add up. If you save two seconds, it feels like nothing. But if you save it 100 times a day it makes up over three minutes of your time. Span it over a year and you’ve just saved some serious time and since time is money…you get the point. Check out the video and read a summary of the seven tips below.

1. Template Project File

Using the Template Project file is a must! This file contains bins named and structured, workspace settings, an empty sequence and a timeline preset. You can add often used assets to it as well. Creating one saves you a lot of time down the road and keeps things organized.

2. Master Effects

If any clip on the timeline is used multiple times, you can apply effects to it in the Master section of the Panel. This lets you add an effect to the whole clip, regardless of its In Point and Out Point. This way you affect all its instances at once.

3. Utility LUTs

Utility LUT (Look Up Table) is basically a mathematical expression that converts colors from one color standard to another. Use them as a great starting point for color correction and color grading.

4. Audio Sync

If you have recorded audio and video on separate devices, you need to sync it later. Use the Audio Synchronization feature in Premiere Pro and let the software do the dirty work.

5. Mouse-free cutting

The more keyboard shortcuts you know and use, the faster you can edit. Use the ‘Add Edit Point to All Tracks’ shortcut, as well as Q and W shortcuts, to edit without switching tools.

6. Alt-dragging to copy any clip

Duplicating a clip using Copy and Paste is not the most efficient. Any clip can be copied by alt-dragging. Additionally, this gives you complete control of where you can place the copied instance on the timeline.

7. Use Clip Markers

The Marker feature helps you mark a specific moment in your edit. Alongside timeline markers, you can also use clip markers to mark the specific point of the clip. Clip markers can be especially helpful for animation clips with an alpha channel, so you can mark your Fade In or Fade Out moment.

If you’ve found this video useful, you may also like my tutorial about Duplicate Frame Markers, which shows you how to avoid duplicating b-roll clips in your edit.

How many of these tricks do you know already? Let us know and leave your favorite quick tip in the comments.

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